You’ve been dreaming of it all your life, and now it’s time to do it: it’s time to build your dream home. You’re likely handing over most of the construction chores to a reputable contractor if you lack experience in building and decorating. Still, you should have some say in what the house will eventually look like. But even if you can’t tell a joist from a strut, you probably have a good idea of the color scheme and appearance you prefer. Choosing the doors, inside and out, is one particularly tricky part of construction. Leaving the decision to the contractor might invite disaster. Here are four reasons to never let the builder pick out the doors.

No Surprises, Please

The builder might cheap out and find the least expensive doors made of the shoddiest materials if you let them pick the doors for your home. Their choice might fit your budget but down the line. However, you’ll be stuck replacing a house filled with cheaply made doors and replacing them with costlier ones when the doors begin to chip, splinter, warp, or fall apart. Whatever you save by letting the contractor choose the cheapest doors will be eaten up by all those expenses.

Tastes Differ

You may not know much about doors, but you probably know what you like. At the very least, you may prefer a solid wood door to a metal one or a classic wood finish versus a natural one. Mostly, keep in mind that there’s no accounting for tastes, and your builder may pick a truly awful, tacky, or just plain ugly door. Provide adequate descriptions and suggestions about what you want when you sit down with them to discuss your plans. Even if you’re unfamiliar with all the terms, the contractor can present you with a few choices based on your tastes.

Indecorous Décor

Let’s say you envisioned your home with plenty of earth tones and a farmhouse aesthetic, recalling a cabin in the woods or a little house in the country. Then you discover your builder slapped a flat, industrial-looking metal or fiberglass front door, onto your cozy little cottage. While some materials can mimic others, sometimes you want what you want, not a faux version of it. Pick the doors you want to have in your home when you live there. At the least, have the option to make future changes. Changes like working with a company that offers wood front door finishing services to refinish the doors to your taste.

Door Deceit

The last of our four reasons to never let the builder pick out the doors might be the most obvious one. While some contractors may go cheap, other, less reputable ones, may take the opportunity to pick a more expensive door and drive up the final price of the project. More expensive doors may be of better quality, but you must choose the doors and hardware that fit your budget if you don’t want to go over.